Big Dog Lukie Boxing Podcast

In this show, Lukie begins talking about flyweight Sergio Mendoza taking a last-minute fight and knocking out Ricardo Sandoval to become the unified flyweight champion. Lukie overlooked this fight and viewed it as a formality. Then the upset came. Shock. So what happened? Lukie goes into the woods talking about the fight.

At the 16:45 mark, middleweight prospect Marco Romero joins the show. Lukie will have a story on him on The Good Fight later this week.

Then, Lukie talks about Ben Whittaker, last week’s bad pods? The difference between the gym and training, especially between weight classes; thoughts on Charles Shinima beating Samuel Arnold, Aaron Noriega, and Kenshiro Teraji

We conclude with film study as we look at the following:

* Sebastian Fundora vs Ermal Hadribeaj

* Armando Resendiz vs. Koen Mazoudier

* Vanlalawmpuia vs. Poken Siga

* Brandon Figueroa vs. Tomoki Kameda

* Louie O’Doherty vs. Michael Gomez Jr.

* David Picasso vs. Carl James Martin

* Steven Navarro vs. Emanuel Moreno

* Giorgio Visioli vs. Maxi Hughes

* Kevin Anton vs. Freddy Rojas

* Bakhodir Jalolov vs. Solomon Dacres

* Nelson Birchall vs. Levi Giles

* Plus the crazy history of Deok No Yun and Yuito Moriwaki

In this episode, Lukie and managing editor-in-chief Abe Gonzalez talk about the WBA lightweight title reign of Floyd Schofield, with a win over Lucas Bahdi. Where does Schofield fit into the division amongst other champions, and on a deeper level, are we in an era of prospect champions? The guys also rant about the following: Sergio Mendoza's upset win over Ricardo Sandoval to become the only unified flyweight titleholder. What is next for him, and what does Oscar Collazo do after missing out on a fight with Sandoval? Also, Jahmal Harvey, the 2024 U.S. Olympian, got a highlight-reel KO. The guys also reflect on Grant Flores, Joshua Edwards, and Cristian Williams upsetting Asa Stevens. Other topics included:How good is Osleys Iglesias, the IBF super middleweight champ? He stopped Oliver Zaren, and we have to wonder if he is the best super middleweight in the world, and if not, will he be? Also, Wilkens Mathieu won a narrow split decision over Vladimir Shishkin, and showed he is not the same as Iglesias. Lightweight Dzmitry Asanau defeated Luis Santana, but honestly left something to be desired given his hype, and Imam Khataev had a cup of coffee stopping Padraig McCrory in one round. Another notable fact: Nico Ali Walsh lost again. Then, we preview this week's marathon of fights. Daniel Dubois will rematch Fabio Wardley in a British world title banger. Is it too soon for Wardley? Is Dubois the best heavyweight? Does it matter, and can it just be a great fight? In terms of the undercard, it is as regional as it gets, but two-time Olympic super heavyweight champ Bakhodir Jalolov will face Solomon Dacres. Also, the guys talk about Sebastian Fundora facing Ermal Hadribeaj on DAZN and TNT Sports. It is a title fight, and we make sense of this odd (on paper) match-up. In the co-feature, Brandon Figueroa will make his first featherweight title defense against Tomoki Kameda, former champion Armando Resendiz faces Koen Mazoudier, and Marco Romero opens the telecast. Timestamps0:00 Floyd Schofield 15:20 What is next for Schofield18:40 Sergio Mendoza beats Ricardo Sandoval25:30 Jahmal Harvey30:35 Asa Stevens, Joshua Edwards and Grant Flores. 39:30 Osyles Iglesias46:56 Eye of the Tiger undercard53:10 Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley II01:02:20 Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj01:11:40 undercard

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Fundora is back

How to watch: Saturday at 5 PM PST on DAZN and TNT Sports

Sebastian Fundora returns as the marquee U.S. fight of the week. The rise of Fundora has been something over the past two years. He went from being stopped by Brian Mendoza to becoming a fringe superstar in one of the most flourishing divisions.

Fundora, the WBC junior middleweight titleholder, will look to make his fourth title defense, after beating Tim Tszyu (twice, once to win the belt), Keith Thurman and Chordale Booker.

This fight is a testament to professionalism as Fundora faces an unknown title contender in Ermal Hadribeaj. The tricky fact is Hadribeaj defeated Bakary Samake, who people would be infinitely more interested in seeing Fundora face. It is a tricky fight: for the southpaw Hadribeaj it is the moment of his life, but for Fundora he has to perform like it is a formality and get it out of the way before facing the likes of Vergil Ortiz or Jaron “Boots” Ennis.

On the undercard:

WBA featherweight titleholder Brandon Figueroa will face Tomoki Kameda in his first title defense since winning the strap. Figueroa won the belt against Nick Ball in the U.K. earlier this year. Kameda is a fun Japanese boxer who competed often on the early PBC cards; his gimmick is that he trains in Mexico, and he gave Angelo Leo a tough-ish fight. This could be a good action fight, but you have to believe Figueroa just has more of everything compared to Kameda.

The TV opener is forgettable as former two-division champion Jermall Charlo will face Koen Mazoudier at super middleweight. Charlo was set to face Mazoudier this summer, but was denied entry to Australia. Mazoudier was a fun opponent in an Australian market, but a disappointing bout to make if this is the only bout we get from Charlo this year. Both Charlo brothers are running out of time to have a sustained, prolonged run at the top of the sport.

Armando Resendiz steps in to face Koen Mazoudier in a super middleweight bout. Resendiz defeated Caleb Plant and won an interim title, which was elevated to outright champ once Terence Crawford retired. In a weird way, it is a better fight, but that is only because the Charlo fight was so bad. Also, Resendiz coming in late notice, who is at a disadvantage, Resendiz, who likely took the fight on short notice or Mazoudier, who trained for a different foe.

Opening the telecast will be Marco Romero, a talented up-and-comer, who recently signed with Premier Boxing Champions. This will be his introduction to most fight fans.

Dubois vs. Wardley II

How to watch: Saturday, 11 AM PST on DAZN PPV

What will happen?

That is the question around Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley, a rematch of a Fight of the Year contender, in which Dubois won the WBO heavyweight title. The bout happened in May; Wardley took a ton of damage. The match-up always felt to favor Dubois, at least to me, and now Wardley, best known for power and recovering, has a short period of time to come back from a lot of damage.

I hope that isn’t the story, but it is hard not to think that is part of the story. How many fighters get stopped and come back mere months later and do well? Still, the power of Wardley makes him live in any fight, and Dubois’ ability to jab under distress makes him potentially the most dangerous heavyweight.

A good fight, too bad it is on pay-per-view for the U.S. audience.

On the undercard:

Two-time Olympic heavyweight gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov will face Solomon Dacres. It is the first somewhat step-up bout for Jalolov, but given his slow career arc, I have all but given up hope on him having a meaningful pro career. Dacres is the definition of a British-level boxer.

The rest of the card is regional bouts. I will probably break them down on the “Once-A-Week” Podcast this week, but I am a little lazy to do it here.

Other notable bouts:

ProBox TV returns on Friday night.

The very fun-to-watch junior middleweight Kevin Anton will face late-sub Freudis Rojas Jr. Anton looks like a future beltholder Rojas took a devastating loss earlier this year to Damian Sosa. On paper, this looks like Anton becoming not just a main event fighter, but entering the conversation as a top contender.

In the co-feature, lightweight Justin Pauldo will return against Rene Tellez Giron. Pauldo is awaiting a chance for a big name and Giron is a credible gatekeeper who has given people fits over his career. Giron upset Karlos Balderas in 2019. After losing to Floyd Schofield (whom he dropped) and Eduardo “Rocky” Heranndez, Giron is on a three-fight winning streak with wins over Jordan White and Maliek Montgomery.

For Pauldo, it is his first fight since stopping Nike Theran in a competitive bout in November. I was live for it, and Pauldo caused a brief scare by getting rocked by Theran.

Featherweight Bryan Acosta is a talented fighter who has shown promise; he faces Carlos Andres Arteaga Orona, who is also a hidden gem, and junior welterweight Charles Harris, one of my favorite fighters no one talks about, vs. Misael Cabrera Urias. Urias holds a win over L.A. prospect Joseph Abudy and was involved in the WBC Grand Prix tournament.

On Sunday, heavyweight badass Gustavo Trujillo will face gatekeeper Donald Haynesworth in a 10-round fight. Don’t be shocked if Trujillo lands a big fight sooner rather than later.

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Floyd Schofield is now a champion

It wasn’t easy, but Floyd Schofield has now won the vacant WBA lightweight title, previously held by Gervonta Davis, as he beat Lucas Bahdi by unanimous decision.

The bout was one of the best of the era, and a good reminder that when you make the best fights possible, good things typically happen. Schofield was who we (or I) thought he was. A combination of an extremely talented verstile, hard-hitting boxer, and very vulnerable. The bout had drama. First, Schofield dropped Bahdi, then Schofield appeared to be rocked in the third round by what seemed to be a late punch by Bahdi. Bahdi would eventually drop Schofield in round 11.

Schofield won, but the patient attack of Bahdi creates intrigue for future fights.

This fight was everything right with boxing, and now Schofield is an interesting figure who looks willing to make good fights.

Undercard results:

Flyweight Sergio Mendoza was greatly underestimated all week, but that didn’t stop him from becoming the new unified champion after he stopped Ricardo Sandoval. Mendoza, a tall flyweight at roughly 5 ft 8 in, was a far contrast to Sandoval’s first opponent, Oscar Collazo, a 5 ft 2 in strawweight looking to move up two divisions to challenge for the belt. Add to it, over a year of inactivity, and Menodza dropping Sandoval twice in the second, which set the tone for the fight. Mendoza would weather a brief rally from Sandoval and stop him in the fifth. A huge upset.

Lightweight Jahmal Harvey might have recorded 2026’s knockout of the year, stopping Pedro Castaneda with a brutal one-punch KO. Harvey, a 2024 Olympian, looks to be the goods. Junior lightweight Jan Paul Rivera looked indifferent, winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Abraham Perfecto Valdez; cruiserweight Tristan Kalkreuth stopped unbeaten Ivan Rosado in three rounds; unbeaten featherweight Cristian Williams upset Golden Boy Promotions’ Asa Stevens; Naomy Valle won a 10-round unanimous decision over Sheyla Moreno; it was her first fight working with Jose Benavidez Sr.; junior middleweight Grant Flores stopped Mikey Dahlman in two rounds; and heavyweight U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards stopped Craig Lewis in two rounds.

Iglesias is coming…

IBF super middleweight champ Osyles Iglesias stopped Oliver Zaren in seven rounds for his first title defense. Despite one judge having Zaren winning two rounds, the only outcome I can come to about this fight is simple: a brutal beatdown. Iglesias stalked, walked and then caused swelling and bleeding on the face of Zaren hit the canvas twice in round six, before his corner threw in the towel in the following round.

Iglesias is the most impressive fighter in terms of what he could become, as he truly has the potential to be the best in the world. Why? He can punch, but he also has the ability to fight off his back foot and outbox his foe. You might question Zaren as his opponent for this fight; more than likely, this was the only man willing to get in the ring with him. If he gets unification bouts, he will have a big 2027.

Undercard results:

Let’s slow the hype on super middleweight Wilkens Mathieu. Yes, he won a split decision over former title contender Vladimir Shishkin, but Mathieu’s faults were front and center. Mathieu relies on his athleticism, power, and reflexes to beat his opponents. Against Shishkin, that didn’t work. Though Mathieu walked away with the win, nothing about it felt like he is ready for the next level, especially after Iglesias stopped Shishkin last year.

Lightweight Dzmitry Asanau won a 10-round unanimous decision over Luis Santana. It was a battle of unbeatens, with Asanau possibly not fully living up to his potential, and Santana fighting the best he has fought in years. It is a good win for Asanau, but honestly, I think people wanted more from him.

Light heavyweight Imam Khataev knocked out Padraig McCrory in a little over a minute. Khataev is a world-class fighter who has moved fast and had some growing pains… that said, he is above this tier of opponent.

WBA interim women’s junior lightweight titleholder, Leila Beaudoin, won a 10-round unanimous decision over Brisa Abigail Rosario Alfonzo. The fight was rough. The big story is with Alycia Baumgardner fighting Elif Nur Turhan at lightweight; if Baumgardner were to stay at that weight class, Beaudoin could be elevated to outright champion.

Other notable results:

Unbeaten middleweight Treavon Craycraft won an eight-round unanimous decision over Nico Ali Walsh.

Julius Ballo scored the first knockout win of his career against Carlos Torres. The fight was stopped in the third round. Jonny Mansour won an eight-round unanimous decision over George Rodriguez Pardo, and Charles Shinma won a shocking split-decision over unbeaten prospect Samuel Arnold

In this video, Lukie talks about Floyd Schofield vs. Lucas Bahdi, including things to watch, random quick hits, and some insight.

In this podcast, Lukie talks with Adam Noble-Forcey of FightsATW.com, who is live on-site for Osleys Iglesias’ first title defense against Oliver Zaren (which is tonight). The two talk about Iglesias’ potential, especially playing off Lukie’s article on The Good Fight this week…

They also talk about the rest of the undercard, including a great bout between Dzmitry Asanau and Luis Santana. We shift gears as Noble-Forcey has called some of Ermal Hadribeaj’s fights in Europe. Hadribeaj will face 154lbs titleholder Sebastian Fundora in a title fight next Saturday, and we get thoughts on the match-up. Plus, Noble-Forcey explains why Daniel Dubois versus Fabio Wardley II is such a good fight in the U.K.

In this video, Lukie interviews Tris Dixon to talk about the big question in boxing: Is boxing broken? In this episode, the two don't just look at the problems, but also possible solutions; then we shift gears to look at the state of boxing in the United States and the U.K.The fighters who keep us motivated, and some rapid-fire questions about some tidbits from Dixon's career covering the sportBe sure to support Lukie with all of his content outletsSupport Lukie at the following linksSubstack: http://lukieboxing.substack.com

In this episode, Lukie starts the show by talking about Ben Whittaker. He gives his thoughts on his narrow win over Conor Wallace and the optics of the final few rounds. He also compares it to Zach Parker and Devin Haney, who also held in recent bouts, and explains what he sees as the difference. Responding to Lukie’s viral tweet that Aaron Bowen could be a solid pro, why boxing is struggling when other sports aren’t, and some thoughts on this weekend’s card.

This week for film study, Lukie watches the following:

* Lucas Bahdi

* Luis Santana

* Osyles Iglesias vs. Gleb Bakshi

* Nelson Asofa-Solomona vs. Carter Efe

*

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A new lightweight champion will be crowned

How to watch: Saturday at 5 PM PST on DAZN

The WBA lightweight title is on the line. The belt Gervonta Davis held but has yet to defend in nearly two years, since a draw with Lamont Roach Jr.

Floyd Schofield, a young up-and-comer who looks to have traits of a star, but questions remain, will take on a methodical puncher, Lucas Bahdi, best known for derailing a young prospect.

It is a great fight on paper. It also could be one-sided or a fight of the year; who knows? What to know… Schofield hasn’t fought since stopping Tevin Farmer in one round. Before that, Schofield fought Rene Tellez Giron, who dropped Schofield in one of the final rounds. Schofield aimed to fight Shakur Stevenson after the Giron fight, but withdrew the week of the fight.

Bahdi knocked out Ashton Sylve, who was seen as a star, and Sylve hasn’t really been seen since. Bahdi is a big puncher, but has a low punch output. This is best seen in his majority decision win against Armando Casamonica, a fight he controlled, but didn’t punch enough in.

In short, both fighters have questions about their potential, and this is the perfect fight for both.

Undercard bouts:

Ricardo Sandoval was set to put his WBC and WBA flyweight title on the line against Oscar Collazo. That was until Collazo got injured. Sandoval will stay on the card but face Sergio Mendoza, who is coming off a second-round stoppage loss to Thanongsak Simsri.

It is nice that Sandoval is still on the card, but if this fight is competitive, it speaks to where Sandoval stands in the division.

One of my favorites in the sport, 2024 U.S. Olympian Jahmal Harvey, will face Pedro Castaneda in a lightweight bout. This is the best possible fight Harvey can get as sources close to the situation have told me that a few undefeated fighters opted not to face him on this card.

2024 U.S. Olympic heavyweight Joshua Edwards will face Craig Lewis. With fewer shows this year, Edwards’ activity has slowed. Lewis is more of a gatekeeper brought in to go rounds with more talented fighters, as he is 2-11 dating back to 2017. I still have questions about whether Edwards is a true heavyweight.

Cruiserweight Tristan Kalkreuth will face Ivan Rosado. Though Rosado is unbeaten on paper, he doesn’t appear as dangerous as Kalkreuth’s last foe, Marco Antonio Canedo. Kalkreuth is getting to the point of a title shot.

Middleweight Grant Flores will be a really exciting talent. He feels like the next Golden Boy L.A. based guy. Mikey Dahlman is someone I met in Louisiana for a fight card, and I probably overrate him a bit. Dahlman will come with a will to win and is training in L.A. for this fight. Flores has a ton of advantages in this fight, but inactivity has delayed his career. Also, Naomy Valle will return against Sheyla Moreno. It is only Valle’s second fight since a disappointing loss to Federica Macri last September. Two things stand out about this match-up: Moreno looks tough, and she just fought Sa’Rai Brown-El, a recent MVP signee, which could mean if Naomy wins that Brown-El is a future foe.

The return of the best super middleweight?

Osleys Iglesias holds the IBF super middleweight title and has been dominant against a certain class of top contenders. No one seems to be calling him out either. He returns Thursday night on a DAZN telecast against Oliver Zaren, whose best trait is that he tries, and he comes forward. The problem is trying might be bad against Iglesias, who is a power-puncher and a boxer. This won’t last the distance and could end early. Iglesias is a promising champion, I think, and with the right fight will enter the pound-for-pound ranks.

Undercard bout:

In the co-feature, young super middleweight Wilkens Mathieu will face former world title challenger Vladimir Shishkin. Shishkin lost to Iglesias last year via stoppage, and this is some vote of confidence for the 21-year-old Mathieu to be in a fight of this caliber. This is a pretty big step-up (in my opinion), but Shishkin also has had some tough fights and might be slowing down in ability and drive in the ring at this point in his career.

Leïla Beaudoin will fight Brisa Alfonzo. Beaudoin is the WBA interim junior lightweight titleholder and has improved a lot over the years.

Potentially the best undercard fight is lightweight Dzmitry Asanau facing Luis Santana. Both had been promoted by Eye of the Tiger during their run, and this feels like a step-up fight. The winner is a title contender; the loser has to battle their way out of the Midcard. Asanau is very talented in my opinion, and has a major edge in this fight. Also, my favorite 2020 Olympian, Imam Khataev, will face Padraig McCrory. This shouldn’t last long, but for fans of Khataev, it will be nice to see him back.

Other notable bouts:

Former world title challenger Zaur Abdullaev will fight for the WBA interim junior welterweight title against Khariton Agrba. The outright title is held by Gary Antuanne Russell, who has been in the news for a rumored fight with Shakur Stevenson. The winner of this bout should be a mandatory challenger at some point for Russell, or whoever holds the belt at that time.

In this podcast, Lukie and veteran boxing writer Steve Wellings talk about Ben Whittaker’s win over Conor Wallace. We also detail the undercard, talking about Hamza Uddin, Bilal Fawaz, and Ibraheem Sulaimaan.

Also, we touch on Omari Jones stopping Alan Sanchez in two rounds, which took place in Jones’ hometown of Orlando. Also, Jordon Orozco stopped Yusniel Abrahante in an entertaining fight.

In the second half, we talk about Floyd Schofield versus Lucas Bahdi for a vacant WBA lightweight title on Saturday. The bout will headline a DAZN telecast. Other notable fighters on this card include: Ricardo Sandoval, Joshua Edwards, Grant Flores, and the great Jahmal Harvey.

Plus, Lukie sings the praises of Osleys Iglesias, the IBF super middleweight champion, who faces Oliver Zaren on Thursday night on a DAZN telecast. We also talk about Imam Khataev and the interesting co-feature between super middleweight Wilkens Mathieu and Vladimir Shishkin. I missed speaking about a great fight between lightweight Dzmitry Asanau and Luis Santana.

Timestamps

0:00 Ben Whittaker thoughts

6:50 Undercard ramblings

9:40 Omari Jones thoughts

13:20 Jordan Orozco thoughts / Red Owl recap

17:30 Floyd Schofield vs. Lucas Bahdi

22:02 Ricardo Sandoval, Joshua Edwards, Jahmel Harvey…

28:13 Osleys Iglesias vs. Oliver Zaren